The blast tore through the hallway
like a tidal wave made of fire, wind, and starlight combined.
Ayla threw both arms up—
and her own wind rose instinctively, forming a shield that cracked under the pressure.
Stone split.
Glass exploded.
The floor groaned.
Ayla slid backward several feet before slamming into a pillar.
Pain shot up her spine.
But she stayed standing.
Mila stared at her through the blinding light—eyes glowing like two fractured moons.
Her voice broke with shock:
"You... blocked it."
Ayla panted,
"Mila, stop—this isn't you—"
Mila shook her head hard.
"It is me. It's who I'm meant to be. The Seal showed me. I finally understand."
Alya felt dread coil around her ribs.
"Mila, what did it show you?"
Mila's expression twisted—fear and righteousness tangled together.
"A world where you carry all five.
A world split apart by your power.
A world drowned by the storm you become."
Ayla winced.
"That's not destiny—that's your fear talking—"
"No!" Mila screamed.
"It's the TRUTH!"
The Fifth Seal pulsed inside her chest, a flicker of each element.
She raised her hand again—
and the hall warped under the pressure.
Ayla stepped forward quickly.
"Mila, listen—if the Seal showed you a future, it's a warning, not a command!"
But Mila only clutched her head—tears streaking down glowing skin.
"I can't let you destroy everything... even if it hurts..."
She spread both palms toward Ayla—
and the light built again.
Alya's breath caught.
"Mila, please—"
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Suddenly—
CRASH
The stairwell behind Ayla exploded open.
Ren flew through the debris like a launched goat.
"MOVE MOVE MOVE—AYLA—CATCH ME—"
Ayla grabbed her mid-air and nearly fell backward from the force.
Cael stormed in right after her—blade in hand, face set like carved stone.
Eris rolled through with a sharp wind shield.
Lami stumbled in, holding a glowing barrier like a scared puppy with a frying pan.
Ren looked up from Ayla's arms, eyes huge.
"OKAY WHO GAVE MILA A SUPERNOVA???"
Cael pulled Ayla behind him instinctively.
Eris positioned herself protectively near Lami.
Mila stared at all of them.
And her expression darkened.
"This is exactly what the Seal warned me about."
Ren blinked.
"What? Friendship? Emotional support? Snacks?"
Mila lifted her chin, voice trembling:
"That you all would shield her...
no matter what she becomes."
Alya's heart twisted painfully.
"Mila—stop talking like I'm a monster."
Mila's mouth trembled.
"You don't see it yet. You can't. But the world will break when you take the Fifth. And I... I was chosen to stop you."
Eris hissed,
"Chosen? By a Seal that just murdered its last host to escape?"
Mila flinched.
"Don't talk about her—"
Ayla stepped forward, voice raw,
"She was my mother, Mila. Don't say I don't get to—"
"No!"
Mila's scream cracked the floor beneath her feet.
"I'm sorry, Ayla—
but if I don't kill you...
everyone dies."
The Fifth Seal flared—
and she lifted both hands, energy building to an unbearable brightness.
Cael shouted,
"Ayla—MOVE!"
Eris yelled,
"Brace!"
Ren screamed,
"NO NO NO—HEYY—WAIT—WE'RE NOT READY FOR A FINALE—"
Lami sobbed.
Ayla raised her arms—
but something was wrong.
Her wind wouldn't rise.
Her power faltered.
The grief inside her clenched around her magic like a fist.
She gasped.
Cael grabbed her arm.
"Ayla—what's happening?!"
"I— I can't— concentrate—"
Eris's eyes widened.
"She's emotionally destabilizing. The four Seals are reacting to her grief."
Ren pointed at Mila,
"THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T FIGHT TRAUMA GIRLS WITH COSMIC ARTIFACTS—"
Mila didn't hesitate.
She unleashed the blast.
BOOM
A shockwave ripped toward them—
but a second blast collided with it mid-air.
Both attacks imploded.
A new figure stepped into the hallway behind Mila.
The masked man—
limping, bleeding, half his mask gone.
But alive.
Everyone froze.
Mila spun around, eyes wide with fury,
"You— I won't let you take the Seal—"
He didn't raise his staff.
He didn't attack.
He whispered,
"I'm not here for the Seal, child."
Ayla stiffened.
Ren murmured,
"Ohhhh no. Something's worse coming."
The masked man looked at Mila with something like pity.
"I'm here because you were never meant to hold it."
Mila's glow flickered.
"What?"
He stepped closer, voice a hoarse whisper:
"You are a placeholder.
A stopgap.
A temporary vessel—
because the true host rejected it."
Mila shook her head violently.
"No... NO— the Seal CHOSE me—"
"It fled from Ayla," he corrected gently.
"It did not choose you.
It hid inside you."
Ayla's blood turned cold.
"Mila... you need to push it out."
Mila backed away, trembling.
"No.
I won't.
If it hid in me, it means you're even worse than I thought—"
Her voice broke.
"You're the danger."
Alya's heart shattered.
"Mila, please—"
Mila sobbed.
"I'm sorry—
I'm sorry—
I don't want to be this—
but I have to stop you—
before the Seal goes back to you—"
Ren screamed,
"WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY—"
Eris whispered, "It's afraid Ayla will claim it."
Cael's jaw tightened.
"She's unstable."
Alya took one step forward and reached out.
"Mila. Let me help you—"
Mila recoiled violently, lifting her glowing hands—
"DON'T TOUCH ME—
I WON'T LET YOU END THE WORLD!"
Ayla saw it then—
not Mila.
Not her friend.
Not her classmate.
A girl drowning in visions.
In fear.
In destiny that never belonged to her.
Alya whispered with breaking resolve:
"Mila... you're not supposed to carry this burden."
Mila sobbed, screaming as the Seal's glow overtook her entire body:
"THEN WHO IS?!"
The hallway flickered with unstable light.
The stone cracked.
The tower groaned.
Alya whispered back,
"Me."
And everything exploded.
??
